Healing the Broken
by SecretlyGreatly
Summary: Ella Rogers and Draco Malfoy have been childhood friends forever, but what happens when friendship turns into something more? Will love be enough to conquer the evil in the world and in each of their lives? Warning: Mentions of abuse, sexual assault, alcoholism, incest, anxiety, suicide. Starts with Ella and Draco meeting when they are kids. Slow build fic through the Battle.
1. Chapter 1

**Ch. 1 A Stranger In the Night**

"She's so beautiful!" Charles exclaimed as his wife held out the baby girl to her excited husband. She had bright blue eyes that glowed from a pale face, with ruby red lips that rested peacefully beneath a petite nose.

"And she is all ours." Charles wife, Annabeth, said with a smile. Her own eyes were bright blue also, and her cheeks had a healthy red sheen from the exertion of childbirth. Her deep red hair was tied in a messy bun with a blue headband holding it back from her face, and she barely had enough strength to hold herself in an upright position. However, she smiled and said "What should we name her?"

"Something beautiful, like her eyes. They come from your side of the family Anna." Charles whispered as he planted an affectionate kiss on his wife's forehead. Contrast to his wife's light skin and pink lips, Charles had a darker, olive sheen of skin with bright green eyes that stood out from his face. His hair was dark and cut short, as it was no longer than his ears.

"What about Ella, after my grandmother?" Annabeth asked, her eyes shining as she carefully placed the baby into to her eager husband's arms. With Charles muscular build and hefty biceps, Ella looked even smaller than she actually was. Annabeth's heart almost burst with love as she gazed at her husband's loving reaction toward their new baby daughter.

"Perfect! What a splendid name for our splendid little girl!" Charles exclaimed as he held his daughter for the first time. He knew he would never forget this night, and as he looked into his daughter's face, he felt his heart lift in happiness.

* * *

Ella woke with a start as she heard the screams echoing down the hall. A wall of fear engulfed her as she threw off her covers and crept toward her bedroom door, shuddering as the screams got louder as more intense. She could soon make out the words the voice was screaming: _Please stop! It hurts! I can't take it, I'm sorry! I will do anything to make this stop!_

She timidly opened the door to the hall, and took a shaky step out of her room. She slowly slid along the wall, stopping every few feet to try and calm her racing heart. Goosebumps rose on her arms and legs, and she could not tell if it was because of her sheer nightdress and its lack of warmth or because of the screams echoing through the house. She soon came to the opening to the family living room, and the sight that greeted her almost tore the scream from her throat.

Her mother lay in the middle of the room, blood pooling around her as she screamed in immense pain. Her mother's night gown was in shreds surrounding her, and her legs lay at odd angles as she was completely exposed in the most inappropriate manner. Her deep red hair splaying around her head and her face held the marks of undergoing unbearable pain. A man in a dark hooded cloak stood over her, holding a black wand in his long spindly skeleton hands. His eyes were glowing with malice as he laughed a merciless laugh. His head lowered to her mother's and Ella could just make out his disgusting mouth as he bit his mother's neck. Her mother's cheeks were covered in blood and tears as she tried to raise her hands to push him away, but she had lost all of her strength to fit back. Ella could just barely see the light in her mother's eyes, and she could tell her will to fight was slowing draining.

"You always did like pitiful men, didn't you Annabeth? Well, now you have come to a pitiful end. I guess you regret your choice of choosing that filthy squib over me, now don't you?" The man said in the most evil voice Ella had ever heard. What was a squib? She thought her father just was a muggle, someone who was not blessed with magic. And what was this about her mother choosing someone over this evil man? Was that the reason why he had shamed and harmed her so?

"I will never regret choosing Charles over you. You are an evil man who was never worth my time." Ella's mother choked out, just as the horrid man stood, raising his black wand.

He shouted words that Ella did not understand, and green light filled the room as Ella heard her mother's scream for the last time. When the light faded Ella saw her mother moved no more, and she gasped in grief. Realizing she had made a sound that gave her existence away, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, but she was too late.

The man looked up sharply at the sudden noise and spotted the little girl. His eyes narrowed. _This must be the child Annabeth sired with the filthy squib,_ the man thought to himself. He walked slowly towards her, and as he got closer he could see her visible shaking out of fear. She had long, dark red hair just like her mother, with bright blue eyes and pale skin also. _Let's hope she also inherited Annabeth's gifts with magic._ He laughed despite himself, and that caused the timid child to speak.

"Please don't hurt me mister. You have done enough to rip out my heart as you killed my mother." Ella said, hoping to sound stronger than she felt. In all honesty she wished she could punch the guy in the face, however it would not bring her mother back, so she decided not to.

The man laughed again. "I'm not going to hurt you girl. I only hurt people who wrong me, and your mother did just that. She hurt my heart, and I had to pay her back for that."

"My mother did not hurt your heart mister, I know that much. When someone truly hurts your heart you will be sad, but you will not have the cruelty to kill them because of it. If you truly loved my mother you would have let her go. But instead you took her life. She must have hurt your pride, and that is why you killed her." Ella stated, her eyes never leaving the man's waxy face as she watched her words sink into his thoughts.

"You are just as smart as your mother was," the man sighed. _I hope she got her kindness and compassion, too. It would break my heart to see her turn out like her father._ "And you have her beautiful eyes, and her fighting spirit. You will pry break many hearts little girl, but do not mess around with the wrong sort like your mother did. She believed that everyone has good in them, when they do not. Take me for example. She trusted me, and I killed her. Be careful of men like me child, and pray you don't end up like your mother over there." _If only he could tell her the real reason he sent Annabeth to the next life, but it would be much too complicated for a six-year old, even if she is smart._ And with that, he cast a long glance back at the dead body in the middle of the room. Ella could have sworn she saw a tear slide down the man's cheek just before his disappeared with a crack.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2 A Pale Boy In The Meadow**

Charles Rogers often worked odd hours, usually leaving right after dinner and coming home around four in the morning. His family thought it was just because his Ministry department had odd hours, but they didn't know the truth. If Annabeth knew, she would go absolutely crazy, and Ella was much too young to worry about her father's means of living. On his way home he usually stopped at the all night muggle connivance store to pick up a couple of things, so Annabeth didn't have to worry about grocery shopping unless she wanted to. Tonight, since he was about an hour later than usually, he decided to buy his family doughnuts, and his wife a bouquet of flowers. For some reason, seeing the flowers ring up on the cashier made his stomach drop. Even though the shop clerk was nice enough, and the flowers weren't overly expensive, he got a bad feeling. And he had no idea why.

Charles arrived home at about 5:30 in the morning, doughnuts and flowers in tow, but something still felt off to him. He hurried up to the steps of the small brick house in the middle of Godric's Hollow faster than he usually did, and when he opened the door to his house the doughnuts and flowers fell from his hands with a loud crash.

In the middle of his living room lay his Annabeth, covered in drying blood and tatters of her night dress. There were scratches and deep cuts all over her body, and her legs looked like they had been broken. Ella sat in the hallway, her arms around her knees and her head rested upon them as her long hair spilled over the top, obscuring any signs of her face. When hearing the crash from the doorway she immediately sprang up, deep fears in her eyes. When she saw it was her father, she ran to him with fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, her blue nightdress flapping around her ankles.

"Daddy! Daddy a bad man came and hurt mother, and now she is dead! I woke up to her screams and I was too scared to do anything, and he killed her! I'm so sorry daddy." She said as the calm demeanor she had when talking with the wretched man disappeared due to the hours spent crying herself to sleep.

"Did you see what the bad man looked like sweetheart?" Charles asked, barely able to keep his voice calm and keep his emotions at bay. _It had better not be Samuels, that man has been jealous since day one,_ Charles thought angrily.

"He had skeleton hands and dull brown eyes, and a black hood that hid most of his face. That was all I was able to see, I'm so sorry." Ella said through her tears, before burying her face into her father's leg.

"It's alright Ella. It will be alright." That was all Charles was able to say, as his emotions took control and tears spilled down his face. He slid to the floor, and held Ella in his arms as the both wept for the loss of the woman they both loved with all of their hearts.

* * *

The next month was the craziest month Ella had ever experienced in her short six years of life. After the funeral was held, her father had decided that they needed to move right away. The house had too much to do with Annabeth, and he could not handle being in it without breaking down all over again. Charles knew that the last thing Ella needed was a blubbering mess of a father in one of the darkest times in her life. So, as much as he hated to do it, he relocated his broken family to a different house, far away from the little village they had previously been living in.

The new house was located on a huge property, with a forest on one side and the neighbor's land on the other. It was a large brick structure with loads of extra rooms, including two drawing rooms and four extra bedrooms. Ella's bedroom was twice as big as her old room, and she felt like the house was much too large. Why did her father need to buy a bigger house when their family had shrunk? It seemed quite silly to Ella, but she did not mention anything to her father, as it had enough on his mind already.

One thing that Ella liked about the new house was the fact it had practically a library, with huge shelves stalked with brand new books Charles had bought just for Ella. His reasons were that she needed to be distracted from missing her mother, which is what he told the family friends who happened to ask. What he didn't tell his friends was it really was because he was going to be working more, and he would be surprised if he came home two days in a row. Ella didn't need to know that though, and neither did his judgmental friends.

Ella adjusted quickly, as the child normally did in the face of change, but she was not happy about it. Charles even hired extra help to maintain the house in Annabeth's absence, and hired a nanny for Ella's lessons and day to day care. She loved her new nanny, Mrs. Jennings, who was a strict woman who always did her hair in a tight bun. She taught Ella with a firm hand, but after a couple of days with the child she realized firmness was not needed. Instead, she nurtured Ella' natural intellectual curiosity with countless new spells and potions, readings and writing exercises, and even began teaching her the proper decorum and manners of the high society purebloods. Even though she taught her everything she had ever wanted to know, Ella knew Mrs. Jennings could not provide the companionship that her friends back in the village had.

The girl had come accustomed to going out onto the grounds after her lessons, often looking to distract her from the grief inside her heart. She often ventured onto the neighbor's property, as she had no concept of land boundaries and what they meant. She just went wherever her feet would take her.

It happened on one of these excursions that she ventured farther into the neighbor's property then she had ever done before. As she was walking she came upon a small clearing, surround by trees that she had never known to be there. The sun shown through the branches, and flowers sprouted out of the ground. Ella smiled at the beautiful sight, and stopped to take in the beautiful scene of nature laid out before her. She breathed deeply as she made her way to the middle of the clearing, and sat down with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. Letting the serenity of nature calm her, she decided to sit there awhile, as her feet were killing her from the long walk she had taken.

Ella didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she was being poked quite rudely in the face. She opened her eyes to peer at her disturber and saw it was a small boy, around her age. He had gray eyes that had a warm blue tint to them and white blond hair that was slicked back from his face with; it seemed to Ella, with an inappropriately large amount of hair gel. He had a pale complexion that resembled hers, and his eyes had a friendly gleam, despite the arrogant scowl gracing his features at the moment.

"Who are you?" Ella asked without thinking, mentally kicking herself as soon as the word fell out of her mouth. _Great, now he is going to think me an unmannered savage that just blurts out rude questions without thinking,_ Ella thought bitterly.

"I should be asking you that, since you are on my family's land without permission. What are you doing here anyway? If you wanted to take a nap I wouldn't think a meadow would be your first choice." The boy stated, his tone not harsh but not exactly friendly either.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize this was your family's land, I thought I was still on my father's property. As for the nap, I didn't intend on sleeping here, I was just planning on resting for a while. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until you woke me up." Ella said, surprised that she had walked so far as to venture onto her neighbor's property. The fact she had trespassed was embarrassing enough, but now the owner's son had found her sleeping she felt she could die of embarrassment.

"Well, since you didn't know, I guess I won't tell my father about you trespassing. I am Draco Malfoy by the way. What is your name?" Draco said, careful not to give anything away, not sure if this girl was a muggle or not. He didn't want to expose wizarding kind to this girl, and even if she turned out to not be a muggle, he would rather be safe than sorry.

"My name is Ella Rogers. I just moved here about a week ago, so I guess we are neighbors now." Ella said smiling at the boy she had just met. _Maybe he doesn't think I am an ill-mannered baboon. He wouldn't still be talking to me if he did, Right?_

"Really? Well then it's good you met me first, because some of the other children around here are no fun to be around, as they are too stupid to even hold a proper conversation. How old are you Ella?" Draco said, excited to maybe be meeting a child his own age for the first time since he was forced to play with Vincent and Gregory. Not that they were bad guys or anything, he just tired of their unintelligent company and dumb games that went along with that. Ella sounded like she had been taking lessons, and her whole manner showed that she had also studied at least a little decorum and a lot of every other academic subject.

"I am five; I will be turning six in two months. How old are you?" Ella answered; glad she had met someone she could play with. He seemed like a nice enough boy, and it didn't matter if he wanted to play with dolls or swords, she would a least have someone her own age to talk to, and forget her grief in the progress.

"I turned six about three months ago. That means we are in the same year when it comes to school. And that also means we can play together. Do you want to?" Draco asked as a smile graced his face for the first time since Ella had met him. Actually, if he though about it, Draco realized he hadn't smiled in months. Was it because his father had been increasingly more distance, barely showing him any warmth since he turned four? Or was it because he no longer enjoyed his time studying Malfoy decorum and family history, and all he wanted to do was read his own books? Or maybe it was even the fact that he had come to hate his scheduled time with Vincent and Gregory, no matter how much his father stressed making an alliance with them would help him in the future. Draco didn't know why, but it sure felt good to feel a smile grace his features once more. _I don't care if she is a muggle, if she is fun to hang out with; I will most certainly hang out with her,_ Draco thought, dispelling any previous worries of her blood status.

"Sure." Ella said, standing up and following Draco out of the meadow. _He must not be bad at all, since he wants me to play with him. I can tell he is on his guard though, I am curious as to why though. Is he harboring secrets? Or was he just reluctant to open up to new friends when they presented themselves?_ Ella was defiantly curious, and she resolved she was going to find out all of Draco's secrets. Smiling to herself, she hurried her pace to catch up with the blonde, with all of her previous loneliness and grief gone.

 **Author's Note: Sorry this chapter kind of sucked, I just needed to move on quickly from Ella's mother dying…. I don't want to write depressing things forever! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Tell-Tale Doll**

Draco Malfoy had become quite accustomed to seeing Ella every day after his lessons got out. He adored her company, especially since she could carry out an actual intelligent conversation despite her young age. Plus she constituted a lot better company than Crabbe and Goyle, whom his father insisted he associate with. Even though he was still not sure if she contained magic or not, he was happy to be around her nonetheless, despite his father's beliefs on whom he should associate with.

Ella was so easy to talk to, not to mention she let him forget about the harsh manner of his household. Draco's father was a man who was very hard to please, especially since his expectations were too high for his six year old son. When Draco failed to meet his near impossible expectations, Lucius retaliated with violence. Sometimes it would just be a slap to the face, a harsh word, or no dinner, and other times it would be more severe. However, Ella never asked how Draco got the bruises on his body; she would just gently apply muggle medicine to his face and give him a bandage for his cuts. After that, she would let the subject drop, and treat him no differently.

On a normal day, Draco would take his time walking to the meadow where the children would meet, and Ella would usually be there waiting for him. He would find her with a book in her hand or a notebook that she was writing in, and every once in away he would find her asleep with her jacket as a pillow. She always was at peace when he found her, with a peaceful expression on her relaxed features. Some days he could see she truly was in gentle happiness, other days he knew it was just a mask. He ached to ask her what was wrong or to talk to him about it, but every time he tried to ask, Ella would swiftly change the subject to something insignificant. So he would let the matter drop, not wanting to upset her and send her away.

Today seemed to be no different, beside the fact that Draco took a quicker route to the meadow with a brisker pace than normal. He found Ella lying on her stomach with a doll in her hands. He could hear her talking to it, and the voice she was using for the doll's response seemed to Draco one that sounded like it was impossible for the girl to comfortably make. As he came closer, he could see that the doll was _moving on its own accord._

 _Could it be? Can she really be a witch?_ Draco thought, becoming excited. _If she is then we really can continue to be friends, and father might even approve!_ Draco thought gleefully.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked as he watched Ella jump, as she had not seen him approach. _Oh no!_ Ella's thought screamed at her. _What if he finds out you are a witch? He will think you are a freak and you won't have a friend anymore!_

"Um, nothing. Just waiting for you of course." Ella said, forcing a smile and hiding the doll behind her back. Draco could clearly tell she was lying, but why? Did she think he was a muggle? _Oh gosh, if she thinks I am a muggle I will die of embarrassment!_

"I just saw that doll talking! You were making it move and talk all by itself! You can do magic, can't you Ella?" Draco said, hoping to hear her admit it. _She can't lie to me now; I saw it moving with my own two eyes! Why is she hiding this?_

"I don't know what you are talking about" Ella whispered, not meeting Draco's eyes. _He is going to call you a freak! He will tell all his friends about the freaky girl he saw talking to her doll! Unless you want to be known as a freak, you had better hide that doll!_ Ella's insides had turned to ash, and she felt like she was going to faint. How could she let this happen? She should not have even brought the stupid bewitched doll, what did she think was going to happen?

"Its okay Ella, I know you are a witch, and guess what? That's so cool because I am a wizard! I can do magic too! Why didn't you tell me?" Draco said, patting her on the shoulder and sitting down in the grass next to her. When he noticed Ella's sweaty forehead and the look that was on her face he moved closer to her and gripped her shoulders gently. "Hey El, are you alright? You look like you are going to be sick."

"I didn't realize that you could do magic, and I thought that if I told you, you would think I am a freak. Or you would not want to be my friend anymore because of it." Ella said, trying to get her heart to calm down and her insides to stop fighting each other. When that didn't work, she laid down in the grass and closed her eyes, trying to breath deeply. Draco moved closer to her again, moving her head to rest in his lap instead of on the hard ground.

"Only a muggle would be like that, and I am the farthest thing from a muggle there can possibly be! Actually, I am a pureblood, and father says that purebloods are the best wizards out there. Anyone less than a pureblood is…mediocre compared to us." Draco said in an arrogant tone that Ella had never heard the boy use before. She wanted to question the pause in his statement, but she decided better of it. Her eyes were still closed, and she was afraid to open them again because she knew the world would be spinning if she did.

"Oh. Well…" Ella hesitated. _Should she say she is a half-blood? She would be if her father was a muggle, but he turned out to be a squib. Does that mean she is a pureblood also? But wouldn't Draco still look down on her if she told him her father was indeed a squib?_ "I am a half-blood." Ella finally said, deciding not being a pureblood is better than having a squib for a father, no matter how much she loved him. _Thank God I have a good excuse to keep my eyes closed. I would not want to see the evident look of disgust grace Draco's features at knowing my true blood status._

"Oh. Well I guess that is still okay, since half-bloods are still much better than muggles or mud-, muggle-borns I mean. As long as my father doesn't find out that you are a half-blood I should be able to continue to be around you." Draco said in an unsure tone, looking away from Ella. He was glad her eyes were closed, or else she might have seen the slip in his mask. _Why should I care if she is truly a half-blood? All the purebloods I know are rude and arrogant, and Ella isn't! I am going to continue to be friends with her, no matter what anyone says._

"Does blood matter that much to you?" Ella said, opening her eyes and trying to hide the hurt in her voice. Draco had never acted like this before, why was it different now that he knew she could do magic? Did he believe she was truly inferior, just because of whom her parents were?

 _Oh crap, she looks like she about to cry._ Draco thought. _What should I do? Tell her the truth about how I think or lie and keep her from crying? If I tell her the truth she might never want to be around me ever again…_ "Of course not Ella, my dad just makes sort of a big deal about it. It doesn't matter that much to me." Draco said, forcing a smile. She was still pale from when she was close to fainting, and her head was still resting safely in Draco's lap. He could see the color staring to come back, even though her breathing was still slow and her eyes still looked pained. _Yep,_ he thought to himself, _I definitely want to keep her as a friend. She has been the best one I have ever had, why would I give that up over something as stupid as blood status? My father would disagree, but honestly I don't care!_ "Which one of your parents does magic?" He said, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"My mother did magic." Ella said as the dreaded tears started to form in her eyes once again. _Don't tell him she just died a little over three months ago. Make up another date to tell him. And don't you dare cry! He will think you a wimp!_ "She died when I was three years old," Ella said, once again avoiding Draco's gaze.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss." Draco said, wishing he hadn't brought up the subject. _Why do I always have to say the wrong things? Why couldn't my mother teach me how to talk to girls normally instead of always hold them on a pedestal?_ Draco cursed in his thoughts. Sighing quietly and hoping Ella didn't hear, he took out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Ella's eyes as gently as he could. He then brushed the hair out of her eyes and slowly sat her up.

"Come on, I want to show you something." Draco said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. "This will for sure make you feel better," He said with a smile.

Ella had no choice but to follow Draco deeper into his family's property, but she was already feeling a little better. It was nice to have a friend who cared enough about how she was feeling to try and cheer her up. Draco led her though the forest that had surrounded the meadow they had been meeting in, and slowed after about five minutes.

They had come up to a stable of sorts, with white fences containing huge portions of grassy lands. There were horses grazing everywhere, all different breeds and sizes. The majority of the horses were muggle breeds, but there were some winged horses too.

"Wow!" Ella said, her eyes going wide with amazement. "They are so beautiful!"

Draco smiled. "That's not even the best part!" He said, pulling her through the entry gate. There was a sort of walkway with fenced in pastures on either side, and the walkway was paved with gravel. The pair walked down the walkway for some time until a huge, white barn came into view. The barn had green trimming and passageways for the horses to enter and exit the barn, as well as to travel from pasture to pasture. Draco opened the door to the barn to reveal rows upon rows of stalls, with charmed doors that opened at the nudge of the horse's nose that lived there. Not stopping to even look at the stalls, Draco took an immediate right and entered through another door. Behind this door held a sort of nursery, where in the middle held a baby horse.

Its wings were small and wet, hanging uselessly at its sides and rising and falling slightly with every breath the small creature took. Its coat was pure white, and its hooves were solid black. It turned its face to the door as soon as it opened, and once it caught sight of Draco it let out a whinny of excitement. With little difficulty the foal got to its feet and cantered over to where Draco stood with a stunned Ella behind him.

"Her name is Precious, and she was born about three days ago. Isn't she pretty?" Draco said, letting go of Ella's hand and putting it on Precious's nose. "Don't be afraid, she loves attention." Draco said, looking back at Ella who had not moved from the doorway. Slowly, she took small steps toward the baby horse, and reached out her hand and put it on the animal's nose.

Precious whinnied again and nudged Ella's hand playfully, and Ella laughed. "Do you think she likes me?" Ella said, smiling at Draco, her previous sadness forgotten.

"Of course she likes you Ella, everybody does!" Draco said, smiling back at her. _Crisis avoided!_ Draco thought to himself. _Another day saved by the power of horses and a smart boy._ He laughed at his own joke, and again at the strange look Ella gave him. "What," he said, "I can't laugh with joy?"

"Of course you can laugh with joy, you are Draco Malfoy. And Draco Malfoy does whatever he wants!" Ella said in a teasing tone. That caused both children to burst out laughing, all tension and sadness completely dissolved.

 **A/N: That will be the last chapter from Ella and Draco's childhood! The next one will be on the Hogwarts Express and Ella will be meeting other characters soon! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Sorting**

Ella stepped onto Platform 9 ¾ and looked around. There were so many people with so many trunks and animals it made her head spin. _I never thought there was this many wizards,_ she thought to herself, _but then again father never really did expose me to the wizarding world._ Smiling at her own joke, Ella looked around for anyone familiar. Yep, it was official, the only wizard she knew was Draco, and he definitely was not an option.

He was still her best friend, and they still spent every afternoon together, at least until a week before school when Draco's father had found out about their friendship. They had been sitting under a tree on Draco's property discussing school houses when Lucius Malfoy came out looking for his son.

As soon as he saw Ella he questioned her about who she was, and more importantly, her blood status. As soon as she let it slip that she wasn't a pureblood Mr. Malfoy freaked out. His eyes grew wide and angry, and as he yelled and stomped around his hair became disheveled. He started screaming and throwing lawn furniture, surprising Ella that he did not hit Draco or herself with a chair or something. He ended up just "banning" Draco from ever talking to Ella again instead.

Ella didn't mind the tantrum or even the fact that Mr. Malfoy had banned Draco from seeing her, for she knew as soon as they got to Hogwarts that "ban" would be thrown out the window. The thing that bothered Ella the most was the image of Lucius slapping Draco across the face just as she was about the turn away and run. It had made quite the sickening sound and a thud as Draco hit the ground, and it broke her heart that for once, in the six years she had known him, she wasn't able to heal his wound.

Ella bolted into the first empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express that she saw, and sat closest to the window. She was about to close the door of the compartment with a small spell when a familiar blonde head appeared in the doorway.

"Mind if I sit here?" Draco said, hiding the bruise on his face by not making eye contact with his closest childhood friend. Instead, he looked around the compartment, and noted Ella's new book lying in her lap. Actually, if he thought about it, this was pry the fourth book she was starting since their last meeting a week ago, but he didn't want to think about the time they had spent apart.

Ella sighed and nodded, and as soon as he was seated she moved to sit next to him. "Let me see," Ella whispered, as she slowly took his chin in her head and turned Draco's face so that he was looking at her. His pale gray-blue eyes held sadness and an ounce of pain, but mostly just remorse.

Ella gasped, for the bruise was worse than she had thought Lucius was soberly possible of creating. It was dark purple, and it spread from just under Draco's left eye to the bridge of his nose, as it nearly consumed the whole left side of his face. Ella gently brushed her fingers along the purple skin, and noted Draco's wince.

"Ella…." Draco tried to start before Ella shushed him.

"Draco, I'm fine, really. Nothing your father says hurts me, and to tell you the truth I thought his tantrum was quite entertaining, besides the…physical part." Ella said, pulling out her wand and beginning to run it along Draco's face. Draco sat in silence as the bruise began to shrink, and he did not meet her eyes until the bruise was completely gone.

"You know I don't agree with my father on some things, and that includes the horrible things he said to you that day." Draco said, looking at Ella clearly for the first time he had entered the compartment. He noted her hair, which she had braided into one thick strand which spilled over her shoulder, the red tint catching the light and almost making it look like it was on fire. She was wearing jeans and a simple t-shirt with one of the muggle bands she had told Draco about all over it. She looked strangely mature for an eleven year old, but then again, she always did.

"I know Draco, if I thought you agreed with your father you would still have a magnificently purple face," Ella said smiling, "There is no need to apologize or try to make amends when no amends are needed, alright?"

"Alright." Draco said, starting to lighten up a bit, even though his shoulders still sagged. Ella noticed that his face looked a little thinner since she had seen him last, and he had dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn't slept much in the week they had not seen each other. Sighing, she patted him on the shoulder, hoping he would take it as an "its okay now" gesture without words.

The rest of the ride over to Hogwarts consisted of the two discussing things like classes and grades, along with which house they would be in. Draco knew there wasn't a chance that Ella would be sorted into Slytherin like he was bound to be, but he hoped against hope it wouldn't be Gryffindor.

"Do you think you will be put into Gryffindor Ella?" Draco said, wanting to get her view of the situation.

Ella giggled, "Of course not! I am nowhere close to being brave, as you know Draco. But I'm not a total coward like you…" She said in a teasing tone. "I would think my best bet would be Ravenclaw, which is the house that I hope to be in. That was also the house my mother was in…" Ella said, trailing off at the mention of her mother.

"Hey now, no being sad on the first day! And honestly I hope you get into Ravenclaw or Slytherin, since those are the best two houses in my opinion," Draco said smirking. _I could live with her being in Ravenclaw,_ Draco thought as he looked at his friend.

"You are only saying that because you know you will be in Slytherin!" Ella said nudging him with her elbow playfully. _Too bad I have a zero chance of being in Slytherin. It would be fun to share a house with him,_ Ella thought.

"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not. Either way, we had better get changed, we are almost there," Draco said, standing up and stretching. "I will go to the bathroom and change, you can change here."

"Alright, but don't take too long, I want to show you my new book before we get to the castle." Ella said in reply, already getting her robes out of her bag.

* * *

"SLYTHERIN!" Draco sighed as Professor McGonagall took the Sorting hat off of his head and he began to make his way towards his new house. _Who was I kidding?_ He thought miserably, _of course I would be in the same house my parents were. Does this mean I really am like my father? Am I destined to be as cruel and awful as he is? And am I destined to marry a kind hearted witch like my mother, yet ruin her with my allegiance with a dark wizard?_ Draco frowned as he sat down next to Blaise, one of his other childhood friends. At least the one his father actually approved of anyway….

"Rogers, Ella!" Draco heard McGonagall announce, and he winced. _Please not Gryffindor!_ He thought to himself over and over again.

"Hmmm where should I put you, girl? You are quite brave and loyal, and your ambition and cunningness is quite apparent also… Hmmm but you definitely are the smartest witch I have seen in this class so far… Alright, then it must be RAVENCLAW!" The Sorting Hat shouted after musing in Ella's ear for what felt like forever.

Smiling, Ella practically skipped to her new table and sat down. _Just the house I wanted! And Draco said he wouldn't complain about Ravenclaw, only about Gryffindor._ Ella glanced over at the Slytherin table to see if Draco had noticed, but her heart sank as soon as she caught sight of Draco. He had his head resting in the palm of his hand, and she could tell he was unhappy. _I wonder why he isn't smiling… Oh well, I will ask him when I get the chance._ Ella decided, turning to her new housemates and joining in their conversation of muggle sciences.

* * *

 **Do you guys even like this story? Please let me know...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Flying Free**

Ella absolutely was in love with Hogwarts. She loved the classes, the teachers, and even most of the students. She loved hanging out in the Ravenclaw common room and reading hundreds of books in the library. She had fallen in love with the school, and it has only been about a month!

Ella had gotten herself in the routine that she ate breakfast either in the Great Hall with her housemates or in a spare room with Draco, lunch in the library usually by herself, and then dinner with her house. She quickly excelled at making friends, and everyone she met seemed to love her.

One day she had just finished her lunch in the library and had extra time to start her Charms essay that Professor Flitwick had just assigned them that morning. She didn't notice anyone enter the library until the girl came right up to her table and cleared her throat.

"May I sit here?" The girl asked, making direct eye contact. The girl had bushy brown hair and bright eyes, with ink stains on her hands that made it obvious she just finished writing a huge report or essay. She was small, with a clear complexion and she reminded Ella of a mouse.

"Of course! Here, let me move my things." Ella said with a smile, waving her hands and watching as the books that were previously sitting on her table stacked themselves neatly and landed in a pile next to her feet. "My name is Ella by the way; I am a first year in Ravenclaw house."

"Oh, my name is Hermione, and I am also a first year in Gryffindor house. Where did you learn a spell like that in our first year?" Hermione said, sitting her books on the table and taking the seat next to Ella. Hermione seemed genuinely eager to hear about Ella's skills, an aptly leaned forward to listen better.

"My nanny gave me a book with household spells like that, and most of them are wandless," Ella said smiling, "Do you want to see it?"

"Sure! And then after that we should start on that charms essay, yes?" Hermione said cheerfully, easily relaxing in this friendly girl's company. _I like this girl,_ Hermione thought to herself, _a lot better than Ron and Harry._

"That was my plan!" Ella said gleefully, glad her new acquaintance had the same work ethic as she did.

* * *

"Draco! Don't be like this! Hermione is my friend, and unlike you and your family, her blood status doesn't bother me!" Ella said, her face growing red with the lack of communication Draco was giving her at the moment. He had been distant and grumpy lately, and when they spent time together he was oddly quiet and cryptic. His odd behavior was greatly bothering Ella, and she could no longer stand it. So, when she had spotted Draco from behind in the hall, she thought that now was as good a time as any to confront him. So far, it was not showing to be successful.

"That's not what I meant El, I just meant…" Draco said whirling around to face his friend. Ella gasped at the sight of Draco's face as the glamour charm he had applied this morning began to wear off.

"Did he find out?" Ella whispered as Draco tried to hide his face from her.

"No, he was drunk and I happened to be in close proximity." Draco said, hanging his head as Ella grabbed his wrist.

"Come on, let me fix it. And just for the record, Hermione is not replacing you. Its different, she is my best female friend, and you are my best male friend. I'm sorry you felt left out, I just didn't want to give your pureblood friends the wrong message." Ella said as she lead Draco into a spare classroom off the hallway they had just been arguing in.

"I don't care what they say; they aren't really my friends, besides Blaise, of course." Draco said, looking straight ahead and not letting any emotion show on his features. Ella noted that his skin looked sort of glassy, like he hadn't lately been taking care of it, and it alarmed her to realize his face had retained the same skinniness that she had noticed back on the train.

Ella sighed. At least Draco still had her, for without her friendship it was obvious he was slowly falling apart. She had thought being away for the holidays would refresh him and ease the pain of his back stabbing friends, but apparently it only made it worse. Ella made a silent vow to herself that she would spend more time with Draco, even if it meant sacrificing time with Hermione or studying time. She was going to make sure he knew he was wanted, no matter the cost.

"Oh come on Draco, don't be so upset. Aren't all stuck up purebloods backstabbers too? Good thing you aren't stuck up, or else I would not want to hang out with you." Ella said, trying to lighten the mood.

Draco didn't answer, only sitting down on a desk in the room they had entered and quickly looking away. Ella could tell he was really upset, his body was tense and his shoulders were rigid, and he practically radiated anger.

"Draco…" Ella said, taking his chin and gently forcing him to look at her. When she saw his eyes she knew he wasn't angry, he just felt upset and he was experiencing great pain. "It will get better, I promise. Now, let me heal you really quick and then we can go for a walk or something." Ella said as she mumbled the spell and watched Draco's bruise disappear.

"Actually, do you want to go flying?" Draco said, hoping she said yes. He always felt better when he flew, and Ella seemed to sense this.

"Sure, why not?" Ella said against her better judgment. She was not great on a broom yet, but she knew that Draco had flown practically all of his life. She was hopefully in good hands, despite her misgivings.

Draco felt like he could do no wrong, and it was the best he had felt since he had started Hogwarts. His father had talked the teachers into allowing him to have his broom at school with him, even though first years were technically forbidden. He often took the broom out to fly at night when he wanted solitude, but today was different.

Ella sat behind him on the broom, her arms wrapped around his waist and her head resting on his back. And man, it was the best feeling in the world. His thoughts were clear, and he loved the feeling of wind on his face along with the closeness of his best friend.

 _Wait, Is Ella still my best friend?_ He thought to himself. _Or is she becoming something else?_

The sudden change in his thoughts startled Draco, but he pushed it aside. He would have to ponder that later, because right now he wanted to cherish this amazing moment in the sky.

 **A/N: Sorry for skipping around, but the real story doesn't start until third year. So I'm just going to add little snippets until I get there. Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Will You Write?**

Truthfully, Ella didn't want to leave. Don't get her wrong, she adored summer, with its sunny days and long nights, perfect for reading on the porch as the sun sets, but she was desperately going to miss the castle that had been her home for the past year. Not to mention she was going to miss the company of her peers, since Draco would be forbidden to visit her, Hermione would be with her muggle parents, and the rest of her friends would be off doing their own activities. The only thing Ella knew for certain was that it was going to be a lonely summer, with her dad never home and Mrs. Jennings busy with taking care of the house and what not.

Ella sighed, finally finishing packing her things for the train ride home. _Oh well,_ Ella thought to herself, _Maybe I can finally start writing that novel I always wanted to do._ Smiling, she knew for certain she would write this summer, just not exactly a novel. She would also read tons, but she did that anyway.

Ella plastered on a smile as she descended the stairs into the Ravenclaw common room, and sat next to fellow first-year Edward on the blue couch next to the fire place. There was no fire, as it was too hot for that, but it still provided a warm feeling in Ella's heart as she thought of the many nights she sat with her friends near here.

"Hey Ella, are you excited for break?" Edward said, smiling at her. He had bright brown eyes and an open face, which was almost always lit up with a mischievous smile. He had jet black hair and was well built with sturdy shoulders and thick arms.

"I guess so, are you?" Ella said, giggling as another first year, John, sat on Edward's lap, much to the boy's displeasure. John contrasted Edward in almost every way, from his bright green eyes and lanky structure, with shaggy blonde hair that most often feel in front of his face.

"I am going to have an awesome summer, thank you Ella." John said, clapping his hand over Edward's mouth before he could reply. "I will write to you, if you write to me. And of course, Edward would _love_ if you wrote to him too." John said, laughing at Edward's blush. Of the pair, Edward was definitely the most reserved, while John was the boisterous jokester. Despite their obvious differences, however, the two boys were inseparable and one would often see them doing everything together, from eating to getting into trouble.

"Of course I will write to you two, just to make sure you stay out of trouble." Ella said, laughing at the two boys' antics.

"You will also write to your favorite roommate, right El?" Catherine said, exiting the room the two girls shared together. Catherine was a slight girl with dirty blonde hair, and bright green eyes, like John's. Actually, John and Catherine had were twins—fraternal of course.

"Of course Catherine and we are still on for raiding the library, right?" Ella said smiling. _Maybe this summer won't be as bad as I thought._

And with that, the two girls linked arms and made their way down to the Great Hall for the last breakfast of the year. The rest of Ella's housemates followed suit, and soon the Ravenclaw table was filled with boisterous conversations of summer plans and excited remarks for the vacation.

* * *

"Have a good summer Hermione! You promise to write, right?" Ella said, hugging her friend.

"Yes, if you remember to write back!" Hermione said giggling, "And make sure you recommend some good reads, okay? I don't want my brains to rot this summer."

"With your amazing brain, I would be quite surprised if it rotted." Ella said, smiling. The smile dropped as soon as she spotted a black haired boy and a red head coming up behind Hermione, but Ella quickly hid her reaction with a yawn and then a returning smile.

"Ron and Harry, I hope you guys also have a good summer." Ella said through her fake smile. From what Draco has told her about these two, she did not like them at all. However, since she did not know them well, she might as well play nice at the current time. _A concept Draco fails at,_ she thought, _he needs to learn how to be diplomatic, even to imbeciles._

"Thanks Ella, you too!" Harry said, a little too enthusiastic for Ella's taste, but maybe she was just jaded. Ron simply nodded and smiled. _Not too bright that one, is he? Hmm, but I won't judge, he is still only 11._

Ella then spotted just the person she was looking for in the crowd, and bid farewell to the golden trio. As soon as she drew closer, she could see the blatant smirk already placed upon Draco's face.

"I hope you know I take pride in the fact that you just ditched the Potter gang for my company." Draco said, taking Ella's bag from her. "I assume you are sitting with me on the train? I hope so, since that is the only way I am carrying this."

"Of course I am sitting with you on the train," Ella said, smirking back at him, "So you are stuck carrying my bag."

With that the pair began the walk to the train, falling easily in step with each other and a comfortable silence enveloping them. _You should ask him._ Ella thought to herself. Sighing, she resolved to ask him on the train, when no one would overhear, for Draco's sake.

The two climbed on to the train and easily found an empty compartment, which Draco promptly locked as soon as Ella sat down. In response to her raised eyebrows, he mumbled something about wanting privacy from his fellow Slytherins. He then sat down next to Ella, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

"You aren't going to take an actual nap, are you?" Ella said, with a skeptical look on her face. Draco never did well with sleep, let alone on a constantly rocking, speeding hunk of metal that they were currently seated in.

"Maybe I will, and maybe I won't. What does it matter? It will pry be the last peaceful nights' rest I will have in a while, why not take advantage of it?" Draco said in a measured tone without opening his eyes. He could feel Ella's eyes on him, but he made a point of acting like it was nothing. She only did this when she had to talk to him about something "important," and frankly Draco had too little in his stomach and too much pain in his head to deal with doing much of anything besides sleeping.

"Fine, but can I ask you something before you fall asleep?" Ella said, looking out the window instead of meeting Draco's eyes. _I knew it, this doesn't sound good._ Draco thought to himself.

"Sure, what is it?" Draco said as he opened his eyes. He didn't like the unsure tone of Ella's voice, and he wondered what she was holding back. He hoped he hadn't upset her lately.

"Will you write to me this summer? I would ask you to visit, but I know your father banned you from seeing me… At least can you try to keep in touch? Unless you don't want to, then I completely understand…" Ella said, trailing off. She had sadness in her voice that bothered Draco deeply, and he had never heard her be so shy around him before. Ever since they were children they had always been comfortable around each other, keeping their answers and conversations completely open and void of lies or discomfort. Somehow, Draco could feel with dismay, that was soon to change, and he could already feel the difference. Draco inhaled deeply, then let it out in the form of a sigh.

"Ella, do you seriously believe that I am going to follow my father's rules? Of course I will write to you, that is a given. And I will sneak out and visit you as often as I can. Your dad won't mind, right?" Draco said, taking Ella's face in his hands and turning her so that she was looking at him. Not waiting for an answer, he said "Now smile girl, or else I won't have a very peaceful nap."

Ella smiled, and Draco could see all of the worry leave her face. "That's better." He said, smiling and letting go of her face before placing his hands once again behind his head and closing his eyes.

"Thanks Draco." Ella said, just before he fell asleep. Draco drifted off after that, with a smile on his face and warmth in his heart.

* * *

"Mrs. Jennings, are you home?" Ella said as she walked into the too big house she had called home for the past five years. She lightly set her current book down on the couch in the sitting room and proceeded to drag her trunk up stairs to her bedroom. Disturbed when she hadn't received an answer, Ella called again: "Mrs. Jennings! Where are you?"

The nanny scurried out of her room just down the hall from Ella's at the second mention of her name, but her eyes grew huge when she saw who had been calling her. Mrs. Jennings had always been a stout woman, with long brown hair that she kept tightly braided and in a bun at all times. Her face was taunt and stern, but her eyes were kind and her laugh genuine. She had a habit of always wearing a coat, no matter the temperature, but the cloak she had around her was not one Ella ever saw her wear in the house. She was wearing her traveling cloak, and was holding the duffle bag that Ella knew she kept all of her possessions in.

"Ella! I didn't realize you would be home so soon…" Mrs. Jennings trailed off, looking everywhere but at Ella. _This does not look good at all,_ Ella thought in dismay.

"Mrs. Jennings, what is wrong? Why are you wearing your traveling cloak and carrying your luggage? Did my father fire you?" Ella said, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

"Ella dear, your father did not fire me, I am quitting. Please don't take it personally, I just… found out some things about your father. Things that you are still too young to know about, but they disturbed me greatly, and I cannot work for a man like that. I'm so sorry, Ella dear." Mrs. Jennings said, pushing past Ella and stomping down the stairs, a stern frown set on her features.

"I got you two house elves for the housework and the cooking, and they can also keep you company if you would like." Mrs. Jennings said, quickly summoning the elves. "This is Cherry and this is Bertie. They are brother and sister, and quite faithful. I wish you the best my dear Ella. I will write to you, if you would like."

Ella tried desperately to hold back her tears as her substitute mother began to walk out of her life. "No. Do not write me. One thing I will not stand is fake affection and empathy from someone whom I used to love. No, if you cannot look past whatever my father did and decided to leave instead, then I guess you never really cared for me." Ella said, her voice cold and void of all emotion.

"Ella, it's not like that…" Mrs. Jennings began, but seeing as Ella had already turned away, she decided it wasn't worth trying to explain. "I really am sorry Ella." Those were the last words Ella would ever hear Mrs. Jennings say. As she walked out the door, she took one more look back to Ella, but the girl had already turned away and made her way back to her room.

Mrs. Jennings sighed and closed the door behind her. She made her way to the edge of the driveway, but was stopped cold by the sight of Ella's father walking up to the house.

"Where are you going Mrs. Jennings? You are not leaving, are you?" Charles Rogers said, his voice calm but cold.

"Yes Mr. Rogers, I am leaving. I cannot work for a man like you, after what I found out about your means of employment. I am sorry." She said, beginning to walk past him. She was stopped when Mr. Rogers grabbed her wrist hard.

"Ella was upset, wasn't she?" Mr. Rogers said in a harsh whisper.

"Yes, but" Mrs. Jennings began, before being cut off by a knife at her throat.

"This was a bad choice on your part Mrs. Jennings. You have left me no choice." Mr. Rogers said, just as he drove the knife straight through her neck and watched as her head rolled away from her body. He shook his head and took out his wand. _And here they thought I was a squib. Well, good thing that ritual gave me back my magic. Too bad its much more fun killing with a knife than with a wand,_ Mr. Rogers thought as he watched Mrs. Jennings's body disappear from the sidewalk. _Now, I must go comfort Ella. Let's hope the hag didn't say much about my lifestyle._

And with that Mr. Rogers made his way up to the house with slow and measured steps, and smile gracing his face as he walked through the door. "Ella!" He called, closing the door behind him. Nodding at the two elves still standing where Mrs. Jennings had left them, he gave them each a pat on the head and whispered to them to start cleaning the house. Just as they popped out of sight, Ella came down the stairs.

"Father?" Ella said, wiping the tears from her face as she walked down the stairs. As soon as she saw her father she ran to him, and snuggled into his chest as he hugged her. "Father, Mrs. Jennings just quit. What are we going to do without her?"

"I'm sure we will manage Ella. We have the house elves she left, and you have your books to teach you things. See? We will be just fine, you and me." Mr. Rogers said smiling and hugging Ella. "Did she say why she quit?"

"No father, she just said she couldn't work here anymore." Ella said, deciding to leave out the part about that it was her father's actions that drove her away.

"Oh well, it is her loss. Now, how about some dinner? We can go to your favorite muggle restaurant down the street." Mr. Rogers said smiling at his daughter. _Thank God that the hag had brains and didn't say anything to Ella. I don't want her to hate me just yet. We have another couple of years before that starts._

* * *

Let me know if you guys like this or not! Pretty Please with a cherry on top?


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